


Nightmares

by Oloane



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Batfamily is hunter, F/M, M/M, Mature start around the chapter four, the plot start around the 3 chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-03-20 17:17:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3658653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oloane/pseuds/Oloane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce and his “family” are Hunters for creature like werewolf and all, they have powers as well. One day, a kid arrive to their place, chased by peasant because of his appearance. Damian is not a demon, but his horns and his power made people believe he is. Does it’s hide something else?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tim remember that day fully. It was a bright, warm day. A few women went to their place, buying plants and ointments. But something was off in the city, he was sure of that.

No one in their place was here without a reason. They were special.

The man himself had powerful ability, though he hid it to the rest of the city. Peasants and richmen weren’t too kind with witches and warlocks and wizardly things.

 

Dick, the first child he brought in, was somehow the same. He could sometime see future. Not quite like Bruce. Bruce saw future in dreams, what happened in them was inalterable and inevitable.

What Dick was able to see was quite different. He was seeing “path”. The different way things would go if he decided to turn right, or left. What he saw was able to change, it wasn’t an exact science.

What Bruce saw in his dream, though. He never managed to change it. When he saw his parent’s death, long ago, and had come to them, it was just “a nightmare”. But then he became an orphan, and the child realised every dream he saw were bound to happen. And there was no way of changing it.

Jason was another kind of child. He could detect things. Feel them. He had like… A very strong sixth sense. He could feel when people were lying. Hiding things from him. He couldn’t explain why, but he was able to. He would know when people were watching him, or listening him.

Tim… Was another things entirely. By touching people, he would soothe them. Help them get better. Happier. He would take their sadness, or their anger away. On some extent. He wouldn’t be able to made the feeling disappear entirely. But he was able to heal as well. Take down fever. But there was a price to that. If he used it too much, he became tired. And sometime, he would take the sadness himself. Or the illness. When Bruce realised that, he asked him to stop.

There was also Cassandra, Barbara and Stephanie.

Barbara was a bit scary, she would stare right through you, like you were an open book.

Cassandra, the quiet, and silent young girl, was like Bruce. She would dream about things that will happen.

And Stephanie was somehow like Tim. Wherever she went, people seemed at ease. People would talk to her easily, and it made them lighter, happier.

With that, they all practiced what people would call magic. Spells and casting.

Jason walked next to Tim, frowning. “Something’s off.”

“Yes. That’s what I thought.” Replied the 13 years old boy. “The city is roaring. Something’s going on.”

“Hm. And it’s coming here.”

They walked backward a bit. The roar was coming closer, until something was coming to view. A huge, bright flame crawled toward their place, and behind it, peasants and civilians, holding pitchforks and sickles, were screaming behind it.

“Monster” “Destroy him!” “Kill him!” “He’s a demon!” “A spawn from hell itself!”

Tim couldn’t look away from the bright flame. A little voice, a child voice, came out from it.

“I am not a monster! Please, I never-” But the high pitched voice got lost in the roar of people.

Bruce walked out, his cloak floating around him, then stopped next to Jason and Tim.

“What is that, Bruce?”

“I have no idea for the moment.”

“It’s a child.” Tim whispered, seeing the small form in the flame. “It’s a child! We can’t let him get hurt!”

Without thinking, Tim ran, walking past the barrier Bruce was always keeping around the castle, before kneeling down and pulling the ball of flames in his arms. Strangely, it didn’t hurt. It was warm, but it didn’t hurt. Where Tim touched the child, the flame seemed to fade away, until it disappeared completely.

Someone in the crowd shouted. “Kill him! He did not deserve to live! That’s a monster!”

“Am not!” Hiccuped the small boy from Tim’s arms. Bruce joined them, placing a hand in front of them like he was hiding them from view.

“This child is under my care, now. I will decided if it’s life need to be ended or not.”

“Then, you should decide wisely, Hunter. Before he kill all the child of your precious place.”

But the crowd slowly disappeared, everyone separating to their own way.

Tim soothed the child, stroking his back. “It’s over, now. You’re safe. What’s your name?”

The child was wearing a big cape with a hood, hiding his face. When Tim tried to pull it away, tiny hands moved to grab the hem and push back on his face.

“No! Please, don’t look at me! Or-… Or else you’ll think like them…” He whispered.

Tim tried to smile as softly as he could. “Shhh. It’s alright. We are all a bit different, here. I am Timothy.” He gently took the tanned little hand in his, stroking it.

After a silence, the kid replied.

“My name is Damian.”

-o-

When they were all seated in the common room, Damian was still hiding his face behind his hood, and was staring stubbornly down. No matter what the other was trying to say, he was keeping it on.

They exchanged glance, and Bruce stood up.

“Damian. We want to help you. I can promise you we will not harm you, in any way.”

Seeing no reaction whatsoever, Tim stood up as well, before kneeling in front of him. He took hold of his little hands in his pale one.

“Look, Damian. You want to see why you can trust us?” He had noticed, earlier, a cut on his forearm. With some luck, he could heal it. When Damian nodded slowly, Tim moved his hand up his arm, and took a breath. A few second later, and after a brief blue light, the cut wasn’t there anymore.

That’s when he saw. Deep, bright stormy eyes, wide open, staring up at him. It looked like they were gleaming under the darkness of the hood, and the pupils wasn’t round. It was like a snake eyes, split vertically. Strangely, Tim felt immediately fascinated by them. But with a smile, he gently removed the hood, revealing the child’s face.

Damian had a tanned skin, dark, short hair spiking in every possible way. And horns curled out close to his temple. They were small, and twirled a bit on the end. It was slightly shiny, like… Like horns, actually, and dark. Not as dark as his hair, but still dark.

“See?” Damian whispered, avoiding eyes contact now. “I am… Strange.”

Dick smiled softly. “Yes, you are. But we are all strange here, Damian. We will not judge you about your appearance.”

“I think it’s kinda cute.” Steph said, smiling. Cass nodded next to her.

At the words, Damian pouted. “I am not cute.”

Bruce sighed and sat down next to him. “What happened to you? If you want us to help you, we need to know your story. You’re not a demon, you wouldn’t be able to enter here if you were.”

“Mom said I was born from a powerful wizard. And herself was a shapeshifter, so she believed it was some result of that.”

Jason frowned. “Bruce. Didn’t you have a relationship with a shapeshifter?”

The man nodded slowly. “What was your mother’s name?”

“Talia.”

There was a gasp, and then a long silence. Things were awkward from that point on.


	2. Chapter 2

Damian stayed with them. Obviously. Bruce made some research and apparently, Damian was indeed his blood related son. The kid was grumpy, got angry easily, and seemed to have no idea how to behave with people, hurting them by telling them the truth, and not understanding why it was bad.

So he decided to stay in the room they gave him. It was nice, with a comfy bed and a small fireplace. He had also a wooden desk, where he used to stay when he was drawing with charcoal on some large wooden plate.  
Tim knocked softly and entered, bringing him a plate of food.

“Damian. You should go outside with us a bit, you’d be happy, I’m sure.”

“Last time I tried, one of the kids said I was being mean. I just noticed he didn’t look in the same direction with both eyes.”

Tim bit down on his lips, walking close to him. “If someone told you you had… Snake eyes-like eyes, would you appreciate?”

Damian shrugged. “It’s the truth. I don’t see why I’d get mad about it.” He looked up at Tim with a pout, before looking at the food. “Apple again?”

“They’re from our garden, and are delicious. We eat mostly what we produce, and it’s apple season, so yes, apple. You have also chicken with bread, and cheese, and a delicious meal Alfred made.”

“He made the cheese as well?”

“No, we bought it, why?”

“You said we ate mostly what we produce. So I thought we produced cheeses.”

Tim chuckled. “We do have two cows, but they do not produce milk currently, and when they do, we don’t usually make cheese out of it, but rather drink it.”

“I like milk.” Damian admitted, taking a bite in from the cheese. “You ate?”

“Yes, with everyone else. It’ll be nicer if you joined us, you know.”

“Everyone hates me.”

“You need to be careful with your words, that’s all.” Tim stayed with him another moment until he had to leave.

-o-

Damian slowly understood why Bruce was called Hunter. His father, along with Dick, Jason, Barbara and Cassandra, were… Hunting and getting rid of any “monster” that might bother the city. From werewolves to spirits or real demons, they used their powers and their spells in order to keep the inhabitant safe. It was a small price they had to pay for being “accepted” by the mere plebeians.

Tim wasn’t going with them. Even though the kid was now fourteen, he wasn’t allowed to. Which was weird, because Tim may not be the better at offensive spells, but apparently, he was amazing at defensive ones, creating barriers and protection on things. So when Tim looked at his “family” walking away, he sighed, before turning to see Damian staring at him.

“Why don’t you go with them?”

“I’m not allowed to. Yet. Too dangerous, apparently.” He smiled a bit. “Do you want to come and help me gathering some plants? I need to make an ointment.”

“For what?” Damian asked, trotting behind Tim as they moved to the garden.

“We are going short in burnt ointment, so I’m going to make some more.”

The eight years old child nodded, following. While picking up the plants, Tim explained him what was that, and on what they were great to be used at. Damian listened carefully to everything. Despite his uncaring behavior, he learned to care about his new founded family, and if he could help, he would No matter what it should cost him.

-o-

So when they came back, the child felt useless when Dick was placed in his bed, his arm almost dangling uselessly to his side. The teen was suffering through clenched teeth. Cassandra kept Damian against him as Alfred ushered to clean the wound.

Tim arrived, panting. “Bruce, you know I can heal him and-”

“No.”

“But why? I could do it and-”

“And what? What if you get the wound instead? What if you use too much of your power?! Remember last time you used it on Jason? You almost died!”

Tim bit down on his lip, hands clenching at his side. “But that was two years ago! I’m stronger now! If you are not allow me to go and fight by your side, then at last, please, allow me to help them!”

Alfred was busy cleaning the wound, but he stared up at Bruce. “What Master Timothy is saying is rather wise, Master Bruce. If we do not decide quickly, I might need to chop off his arm, while master Timothy would be able to save it.”

Bruce seemed to glow in anger. There was silence in the room, except from Dick’s labored breath. Barbara was at his side, holding his intact hand in hers. Everyone was staring at Bruce, until the man slowly nodded.

“I shall draw a spell on the ground to help you with the healing. It might not cost you energy.”

Tim nodded, and helped Bruce doing that. Damian was staring at Dick. He felt powerless and useless here. Finally, once the pentacle draw, Tim walked in, placing his hand over the wound. Air twirled in the room, bright blue light glowering inside the pentagram and around Tim. There was a scream of pain, from who, Damian wasn’t sure, and then it was over. The wound on Dick’s arm wasn’t there anymore, and Tim collapsed on top of him.

-o-

When he woke up, Tim met with glowering eyes. He smiled softly and moved a hand in Damian’s hair. “I’m fine, Damian. Since how long was I sleeping?”

“You woke up quite a few time. Just enough to relieve yourself, and went straight back to bed each time. Since a week. Alfred nourished you with small… Paste. I wouldn’t have liked it, if I was you.”

Tim chuckled a bit, staring at the ceiling. “Would you mind telling Alfred that I’m hungry?”  
“No, but I’m not sure it might be of use, there is strawberries and cheese.” Damian took a wooden bowl on his lap and started to give him one by one the fruits, and the cheese and bread.

Alfred walked in, smiling softly. “I believe you are under a good care.”

“Apparently, yes.” Tim smiled back, chuckling as Damian pouted. “But I would like some water, Alfred?”

“Right away, young man.”

After something like a week, Tim was able to get out of bed again. Bruce was being grumpy, but apparently he was glad he was fine. Dick cuddled Tim a long time, thanking him again and again for his arm. Things were slowly going back to the way they were.

-o-

Time passed. Bruce trained Damian, just like he trained Tim. Well, Tim was since long now allowed to go Hunting. He would go and protect the rest of the group. Damian was still trying to figure out how to create an effective barrier spell.

The younger was around thirteen when something… Weird happened to him.

It was raining a lot outside, on that day. Damian woke up with a dull pain on his back, on his head and his fingertips. It was weird. He stood up and changed, taking a small, cold bath in his bucket, warming it with his power -Bruce had also taught him how to use his flames- before putting on clean clothes. But unlike every morning, he didn’t manage to put on his linen shirt. Something got caught on his back. He hissed, because the dull pain became more insistent, and moved to a glass. 

His eyes widened in shock. There was tiny little bones poking out from his skin. It was awful and disgusting. The young teenager moved an arm, trying to scratch at it and hissed in pain. What the hell was that? He got so scared, he decided to stay in his bed. Alfred brought him his food, worried, and Damian was curled up in his sheet, laying on his side.

But the more he played sick, the more worried grew the family. Dick, even Jason was coming to see how he was. And Tim was coming every day, as often as he could.  
At some point, Damian just wanted to be left alone. 

“Damian, you know you can talk to me…?” Tim whispered, worried look on his beautiful face.

The face of an angel, Damian thought. He shook his head. “I’m fine, Timothy, really. I’m just really tired recently, I don’t understand, but I’m fine.”

“... If something is wrong, or even if you are hurt somewhere, you know that I can-”

“No!” Damian had almost screamed. He was so scared. He didn’t want Tim to try and heal him. What if he took it? He didn’t want Tim to have bones poking out from his back. Either than having him to have nails turning into claws. “No! Really, I’m fine, Timothy. Stop worrying, you’re not my mother, and I do not need any help, understood?!”

The words seemed to hurt the older teen. It wasn’t what he wanted. At all. But before he could say another word, Tim slowly stood up.

“Alright. I’m sorry to bother, then. I will… I will leave you alone from now on. I just-... I’m sorry.” He made such a sad smile, obviously forced, then Damian felt like his heart was being ripped open.

He whispered the older man’s name as he walked away, but Tim didn’t seem to hear. With a whine, he curled around himself even more. He was maybe a monster? Or becoming one. Why everything hurt so much? But most likely, the look on Tim’s face seemed to hurt way more than the creaking bones in his back.

And one night, just like that, Damian disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

They searched everywhere, but there was no sign of him. They asked the peasants, the people of the city. No one saw him. So time passed, again. Slowly.

Tim didn’t realise how much he cared about Damian until he lost him. He turned and turned again in his head that evening where Damian seemed to reject him. No matter on which way, he didn’t understand what he made wrong.

One day, people came to them, saying a demon was hiding in a cave. That they could hear his howling and things being teared apart. Tim decided to go alone. He was used to deal with demons and other creatures, now.

So he went to the cave. It was dead silent, and there was no one in there. Tim leaned against a wall, and he noticed something. There was clawmark on the ground, on the cave’s wall. Everywhere around him. The rock was marked. Finally, there may be a demon there. And a rather angry one, apparently.

He decided to went further in the cave, and that’s when he heard it. He heard a voice, like a howling. But when he listened closer, it didn’t sound like howling. It sounded like the creature was in pain. Like they was sobbing. Frowning, he slowly approached, going lower and lower on the stairs that seemed to be done in the rock itself.

He entered a huge cavern, with a high up ceiling. Dripstone and stalagmite created shadow from the light coming up. There was a crevasse that brought sunlight. Tim blinked. The creature was walking in circle, rather far away from him. It has a humanoid appearance, and it seemed small and thin. Smaller at least than what he expected. Tim wanted to get closer, but he shoot in a rock unintentionally, and the creature suddenly stopped. Something was poking out from his back. Things that looked like bat wings, but only the bones. Only the structure.

Tim’s breath got caught in his throat.

“Damian…”

Because it was him. Older. Obviously. It have been almost one year and half he disappeared.

The younger teen whined and hid behind a rock. “Don’t come closer! I-I don’t want you to see me that way! I- I am a monster, after all.” He whispered.

Oh. So it was all because of that? He left because he was scared? Tim slowly walked toward him. The horns on his head had grown as well, curling on itself on Damian’s head. His hands seemed to be ending in claws, and the skeleton-wings like were flapping in an awful sound of creaking bones.

“Damian. Oh, Damian, you’re safe… D-don’t be silly, I don’t care what you look like. Please, come here. Come back with me.” He raised his hand toward him.

Damian eyed it carefully, making a small noise. “I’m a monster, Tim.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re not. You’re just not like everyone else, but I can tell you that you’re not a monster. Please, Damian, please. Come back with me.” It was almost a plead. Not almost, it was one. “I won’t stand to know you’re just here.”

The fourteen years old slowly walked out from behind his rock. Tim didn’t waste any time, as soon as Damian was closer, he took him in his arms. The younger teen embraced him back awkwardly.

“Please, never ever do that again. If there is a problem, we will solve it together, understood?” He whispered in the dark hair tickling his chin. Damian nodded slowly, burying his face in the crook of his neck.

“I am so sorry, Timothy. But I was so scared. I-… I am so scared. I don’t understand what’s going on. I really don’t…”

“We’ll find a way, Damian. We’ll find a way.”

-o-

When Tim came back with Damian, everyone was on them. How come he disappeared, why he left… Damian was drowning under questions. Until Bruce entered the room, at that moment, everyone fell silent.

Damian didn’t realise his wings dropped, like he knew he had disappointed. His father stared at the teen a long moment, face unreadable. Finally when he spoke, his voice was stone cold, just like he was saying matter of fact things.

“Your mother was a shapeshifter. Those things are probably a result of it. You should have talked about it with us, we may have been able to help you. Now, go back in your room, I’ll search a way.”

Damian let out a growl. “Go back to my room? I’m what, your prisoner? You can’t decide for me and-”

“Apparently I have to, because you made a wrong choice by leaving us.” Bruce immediately cut in. Damian shrieked on himself, nodding, his eyes staring down at the ground.

Once he was back in his old room, Damian sighed, sitting on the bed. Then, someone entered. Dick made a soft smile and walked in to sit down next to him, before wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Hey. Don’t worry. Bruce have been downright worried about you, and he may not show it in the best way, but he care about you. He loves you. ‘kay?”

The teen slowly nodded, staring at his claws at the end of his hands. “And what about Tim? I-… I deceived him, just before I went away. I hurt him. He must hate me, now.”

Dick chuckled softly. “Do you really think he’d bring you here if he hated you? Tim care about you, just like the rest of us. We are family.”

But he didn’t want to see Tim as family. He loved him more than family. He was just unable to express it correctly.

“Alright. Thank you, Richard. Now if you don’t mind, I need to rest. It had been a long time I have slept on a bed.”

The young man smiled and nodded, brushing gently his hair before walking out.

Damian waited to be sure he wasn’t there anymore, and stared at the window. He was probably going to make another mistake, but he had to.

So he climbed out of the window, perching at the end of it.

-o-

When Tim heard something rattle at his window, he startled awake, immediately watching what it was. When he realised it was Damian, he lit on his lantern, opening the window.

“Damian! What are you doing here?!”

“I am sorry, Timothy. But I-… I wanted to see you.” The teen admitted.

Tim sighed softly, helping him to get in, careful to don’t hurt his structure-bone like wings. Once he was inside, Tim closed the window slowly.

Damian’s eyes averted his, and he started to speak without looking at him.

“I never wanted to hurt you back then… When… When you told me that you could help, I-… I was scared. I didn’t want you to use your power to heal me, because then, what if you got those bones poking out of your back, I never could forgive myself, so… I reacted stupidly and I hurt you.”

The older teen smiled softly, moving his hand to gently brush Damian’s hair.

“I know. That’s fine, Damian. Now I understand why you reacted this way.”

Tim slowly moved his finger, to brush at Damian’s horn, not seeing the way his pupils suddenly blown wide. “They grow up quite a lot as well, hm?” He said fondly, gently stroking the black onix-like horn.

Damian suddenly backed away, and was panting.

“Right, they did grew a lot… So did I, apparently. I- Hm. See you tomorrow, Timothy.”

And with that the teen turned away and went in the corridor in a sprint. Tim blinked. What…? What just happened…?

-o-

He didn’t know what happened to him that night. So he had two choice. Going to ask Dick, or Jason. He was afraid Jason would mock him, so he went for their eldest instead. Waiting for the young man, Damian smiled slightly back at him when Dick approached.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. I… I have a problem that require your knowledge.”

“Alright, I’m listening.” Dick was glad that Damian understood what Bruce meant, and now the teen was coming to help. That was better than having him run away. Damian grabbed his wrist and he seemed nervous, glancing around until they reached a place where there was no one else.

“I went to see Timothy, yesterday. To… Explain myself.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah. But then, he told me we were good, like you said he would, and he… He ruffled my hair.”

Dick frowned curiously. “Like we all do, I think.”

“Yes. But then, he looked at me, and at… At my horns. A-and something weird happened when he touched one. He touched the base and-” He raised his hand but stopped midway, not wanting to try if that would have the same effect with his own hand. At least not in front of Dick. “And I got… I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. A shudder travelled me all over, and I was warm, like, really warm and- And I was panting a bit, I do not understand what happened…”

The older man smiled slightly, but seemed a bit embarrassed as well. “Oh no. I really have to give you the birds and the bee talk?”

“What? What does birds and bees have to do with my horns?” Damian stared at him.

Dick chuckled, before motioning toward a seat. Once both was seated, he sighed. “Alright, hm. Do you know how humans have babies?”

“TT. Obviously I know, Richard. Mother explained it to me long ago. And I don’t see what is the purpose on that.”

“Well. At some point, you cease to be a child. Usually, for boys, it happen between 14 or 16 years old, sometimes a bit sooner, sometimes a bit later. Anyway. When it happen, you start to become a man. You grow hair-”

“I am going to have chest hair like father?!” Damian squealed.

Dick laughed. “What. Noo, not that young. And sometimes you don’t have any, that depend of the people. I don’t have any, Tim neither. Jason might have a little bit and-”

“Cass or Barbara don’t either.”

This time, Dick barked out laughing, and he needed quite a time to calm down. “Because they are women. Women don’t grow chest hair. Anyway. Men. Like you. When you grow up, and become a man, with body hair come as well … Hormones. Or, well, they work a lot. And you get horny.”

“… If this a pun about my horns, Richard…”

“No!! Haha, no, absolutely not. It’s the all ‘hot and bothered’ part you had yesterday. Your body reacted. And apparently, your… Your horns, or at least it’s base, is an erogenous place for you. Meaning if someone touches it, you’ll get hard… Between your legs.”

Damian blushed with a pout. “I never said I got hard down there.”

“But you did, right?” Dick said with a soft smile.

The teen growled, crossed his arms over his chest and nodded.

“Well, this is why. You’re becoming a man, and your body is reacting naturally. There is no shame about that, but do try to avoid people touching your horns.”

A nod again. “Understood. So I’m… Not different than other boys in my age? I mean, nothing’s wrong with me?”

“Absolutely nothing, Damian.” Smiled the man in a reassuring way.

“Alright. Thank you for your explanation.” He smiled slightly back and stood up, walking away.

-o-

Bruce decided to help Damian with his transformation. He made research about shapeshifters, and they started to work on it. The horns will not move away, but Damian, through two months, managed to grow full bat-wings on his back, making him able to fly. He was also able to reduce them to tiny little useless and flappy things, so he could wear normal clothes.

He was so proud of himself he ran to find Tim in the garden, with Barbara, busy with some plants.

“Timothy!! Look!” He turned on himself, without wings on his back.

Tim smiled. “Oh! You managed to made them disappear?”

“Not fully yet. But I can reduce them.” He removed his shirt, turning his back to show the two little wings, the size of hands, in his back. “So I can wear normal clothes.”

“That’s a huge progress.” Barbara said encouragingly, while Tim was busy staring at the tanned thin chest in front of him. That got him an elbow in the belly, and he hissed. “Right, Tim?”

“Heh, oh, yes, yes, that’s great! Pretty. Er. Nice, I meant.”

Barbara snorted, rolling her eyes as she went back to pick flowers. Damian beamed. “I could take you flying, if you’d wish? At night, though. Father don’t want me to fly at day, people might get scared.”

“Yes, obviously. Well, hm, sure, why not? That would be great…” Tim smiled back. Damian stayed with them a few more, before going back to training.

But he hadn’t missed the way Tim’s eyes have been on his body. And the thought made him both smile and his heart flutter in his chest.

Maybe… Maybe Tim was attracted to him, like Damian was to his elder…?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is handjob in there. You've been warned.

A few month passed. They didn’t find time to spent much of their time together, so Tim decided to go and talk with Damian. Maybe the teen would want to go flying with him, just like he promised? It was night, maybe they could see the sky and the stars, that could be nice.

Softly knocking on the door, Tim frowned when he didn’t get any replies. So he opened the door. Damian wasn’t in his room? Then he heard a gasp, followed by the sound of water. Oh. He was apparently taking a bath. But why the gasp…?

And then, he heard foot steps. Damn, he was coming here. Without knowing why he felt the urge to hide, Tim moved inside the closet in the wall. He felt like he shouldn’t have done this.  
Damian walked back in his room, a towel around his slender waist. The teen was slowly growing up. He was almost sixteen years old, after all. In something like a month or so. Tim gulped when he noticed the bulge behind the towel. And his eyes widened slightly as Damian fell on his back on his bed.  
The teen slowly moved a hand up to his hair, before dragging his hand on his horn. When he brushed the base, he let out a soft gasp, and his member twitched behind the towel. Tim’s breath stopped. So that was why he moved away last time, it was… And now, he was trapped there, while Damian was apparently going to… Pleasure himself?!

Damian moved his hand from his horn to his chest, and down his abs, hesitantly palming himself through the fabric. Another soft gasp left his lips, and he turned, chest against the mattress. He started to rock his hips down slowly, like he wasn’t sure of what he was doing, but the soft whine he made didn’t leave much to imagination.

Tim should look away, close his eyes, something. But he wasn’t able to. He was totally enraptured by the sight in front of him. And also, his cock was slowly beginning to pay attention to the sight, and those little sounds that were leaving Damian’s mouth. He felt so disgusted with himself.

Damian was rocking his hips down against the mattress more frankly, now. His body was hot all over, and the feeling was so nice. But not quite enough. He noticed as well that the feeling on his nipples were quite great, so he hesitantly moved a hand on it to pinch one, mouth gaping open. His free hand moved around his shaft, starting to circle the tip curiously, and god. The feeling was amazing. He moaned again. Slowly, his mind drifted somewhere else.

“Timothy…” He whispered.

Tim gulped. Does Damian noticed him? Did he know he was there? And then, he realised. No he didn’t. The teen was… Apparently thinking of him when…

His member was hard as rock in his pants now, but he refrained from touching himself.

Damian felt something build up in his stomach, the warmth embracing him becoming stronger and stronger. He pictured Tim’s hand touching him like he was, he pictured his lips on his. Their skins against each other. And then he moaned loud as the tension released suddenly, waving over him in powerful wave of pleasure. Something hot and sticky covered his hand. Rolling to lay on his back, Damian stared at his hand, panting. So that was… Cum? He sighed and cleaned his hand with the towel, trying to regain his breathing, eyes lost on the ceiling.

Once he gathered himself, he stood up and took the clothes on his desk, putting it on. After a few more things done, the teen walked out of the room.

And Tim was almost sure it was to find him. He was so doomed. He walked out of the closet, looking around to be sure there was no one, did the same in the corridor before running away to… Not his room, Damian would not understand. To the bibliotheque.

After a few minutes -where he managed to calm down- he picked up a book, when Damian entered.

“Timothy. There you are. I was searching for you.”

Tim feigned surprise and smiled. “Sorry, I had to place back some books.”

“That’s fine. So, do you still want me to fly with you?” The teen grinned, and Tim managed to don’t stammer, because he thought about something else entirely than flying.

“Flying? Sure. Let’s go. Where do you want to bring me?”

Damian pouted. “Not really far I’m afraid, I have some difficulties to fly by myself yet, so with you-”

“Tell that I’m heavy.” Tim snorted playfully, and Damian’s ear became red.

“No! No, that’s not what I meant, I- I mean, even as myself I-…”  
Timothy chuckled and took his hand, walking out. “That’s fine, I was teasing you, Damian. Let’s go on the rooftop, what do you think?”

“Oh. Alright. That’s fine, then.”

They walked on a balcony, and Damian wrapped his arms around Tim waist, the older teen doing the same around his neck. The fly was not really long, but Damian was panting like he ran a marathon. Tim chuckled softly, pecking his cheek. “You made it. We have a nice view up here.”

The teen nodded, glad the night would hide his blush, and sat down next to Tim. “We can see nicely the stars.”

Timothy just hummed a reply. They stayed there in comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s presence. Then Damian slightly leaned on his side, resting against Tim’s shoulder. The older teen smiled softly, leaning his head against Damian’s own. “Never disappear again, Damian.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Damian whispered back, his hand searching Tim’s own. When their fingers laced together, Tim bit down on his lips.

He liked Damian. A lot. But he probably shouldn’t. They had something like 5 years age gap. That was huge, wasn’t it? And Damian was… Young. So young. Not even 16 years old yet. Soon, true, but…

“Damian…”

“Hm?”

“I-… “ He bit down on his lips, and when the teen looked up at him, his amazing eyes glowing in the dark, watching him with such… Such tenderness in his eyes, the world stopped. “Nothing. I’m glad we came here.”

Damian smiled. “So do I.” He placed his head back on Tim’s shoulder.

They spent some more time on the rooftop, before going back down.

-o-

An old acquaintance of Bruce was here. Ra’s didn’t come often, and when the man did, he was often coming with his men. This time, though, he was alone. Wearing a bright dark cloak, embroidered with gold and black pattern on the sleeves and the collar. The warlock smiled politely to Bruce.

“I heard you had a.. Little demon with you.”

“Damian is not a demon.”

Ra’s sighed. “No, obviously not. He’s my grandson. And he should not be with you. He ran away from home.”

“And it took you… Five years to come here and ask him back?”

The man’s lips pursued. “I have to admit the protection you keep permanently around your masonry is powerful. I figured he would stay with you. Now it is time for him to come back with us.”

“Why.? Do you need him for some experiences?”

“He have been marked. Since his birth. You will not be able to protect him from what’s coming.”

Bruce stared at his former mentor before slowly nodding. “And what is coming?”

The man stayed silent. Then he turned away slightly. “Something you do not need to know.”

“Ra’s. This child is my son. I deserve the truth. By what is he marked. What is coming.”

“Fine.” Ra’s moved a hand toward some chairs, and waited for them both to be sitting before starting. “Damian is born on winter solstice. He’s marked by the night. And the night want him.”

“Nightmares?”

Ra’s nodded with a stern face. “Nightmares. They will not stop until they will bring him to their side. Even your barrier will not be able to protect him from that.”

“Damian have a bright light in him as well. He will not go down easily.”

“I know he will not. And that is why it will be even more difficult for him, Bruce. He will suffer through it.”

“If we want the same things, protecting him, then we should work together. You can not take him back to your place, here he have people he care deeply for.”

Ra’s sighed and stood up, starting to walk in small circle in the room. “But I can not stay here. Wait. You said he care deeply for people? Do he love someone?”

Bruce growled. “You can’t ask them that.”

“Why not, the chance for him to survive will be greater.”

“He’s barely 16 years old, you can not ask him to bound!” Roared the man, standing up.

Someone knocked softly on the door, and Jason peered in.

“Hm. Sorry to bother, but something’s going on outside.”

The two older men exchanged glance, before they stormed out of the room.

Apparently, Ra’s wasn’t the only one to finally find Damian.

Around the manor, everything was dark and surrounded by black and grey smoke, twirling around. Some face could be find in the darkness, eyes, bright and gleaming, like snake-eyes.

The other joined them. Stephanie gasped.

“What is going on?!”

“You go back in the manor. Now. Tell Alfred to bring you down the crypt, and create more barrier.”

“But Bruce, we can help-” Dick started.

“You go. NOW. Damian!”

The teen was staring at the smoke, like enraptured by the sight. Bruce shook him and pushed him in Tim’s arms.

“Bring him down. Create the most powerful barrier you can do around him.”

“If they bonded-”

“Not now, Ra’s! Now, go, and do what I told you. You can not do anything against those things.”

Dick and Jason were again going to argue, but Barbara started to push everyone toward the masonry, Tim following and dragging Damian with him.

Alfred made them down rock stairs, old and dusty, a light in his hand. The butler was also incanting in the same time, each step he took behind everyone turning the stair he stepped on in bright blue-glass thing like.

Finally they stopped in a huge circular room.

“Can someone explain us what’s going on?” Growled Jason as Alfred drew symbols on the walls.

“The things you saw outside were Nightmares.” Explained Alfred. “And I believe they came for Damian.”

In Tim’s arms, the teen seemed away. His eyes were pitch black, like empty, and he was slightly trembling. Tim looked up at Alfred, holding Damian tight against him.

“Can’t I do something for him? He’s…”

“They are calling him. Place him there, right. Miss Stephanie, Master Timothy. Both of your powers will be useful. Please, do what you can do to soothe the dark.”

“Soothe the dark?” Stephanie repeated, taking Damian’s hand while Tim did the same on the other side. But once they did, she understood what Alfred meant.

She felt suddenly like there was night everywhere, empty and black. She felt pain, and saw -or maybe pictured in her mind- huge hands, scrawny, more like dark bones grabbing and pulling at Damian.

Tim might have felt it too, because he gasped, curling around the hand he was holding.

“I’m not sure we’re going to make it.” He murmured, eyes clenched shut.

“If you don’t, we are going to lose him.”

Ra’s stormed in the room, followed by Bruce.

“I thought the masonry was under danger?”

“The barrier will stand. If we manage to get rid of those inside of him, they will go away. For now. Bruce explained me your power.” Ra’s said, eyeing Tim carefully. “So we are going to work in tandem. I will enhance your power, and you will get rid of those nightmare. Understood?”

Tim glanced at the man, then at Bruce. His mentor slowly nodded. So Tim agreed.

“Understood.”

Ra’s drew other symbols on the ground around the place Damian was. He placed Tim on another symbol.

“Alright, young man. Use your power, this should be enough to chase them for now.”

Timothy nodded again, closing his eyes. Once he did, he pictured them again, the scrawny hands. The moving shadow, not quite form, not quite smoke, something in between, always changing. They seemed to notice him, and suddenly rushed forward. Ra’s appeared in his vision, creating a barrier.

“Focus on Damian, Timothy, ignore them I’ll protect you!” Came the voice in his head.

The teen did as he was told.

He felt the power, the energy of the symbol under him, it was like a stream being turned into a torrent. He focused all his will to protect Damian.

Slowly, the form seemed to disappear.

Tim fell on his knee, but got catch by Ra’s, helping him to sit.

“Is it over?” Stephanie asked, glancing at Damian.

Ra’s nodded slowly. “For the moment. But the Nightmares will come again. You need to be prepared.”

Even though it was supposed to be over, Damian still wasn’t waking up.


	5. Chapter 5

Tim changed the soaked cloth on Damian’s forehead. Bruce and Ra’s were talking again in the Hunter’s office.

He stared at the younger teen tiredly, worry in his eyes.

“Why do… Nightmares would want to you?” He whispered.

“And mostly, what are Nightmares, exactly.” Came a rough voice behind him. Jason sit down next to Tim and gave him an apple. “I know you’re worried, but don’t forget to eat, kid.”

“I’m almost twenty, Jason.”

“And still younger than me, so forever a kid.”

“I guess so. Do you know what Ra’s was talking about? The bounding things?”

Jason’s eyebrows knitted together as he frowned, nodding slowly.

“Already heard about it, but not much. Something that tie two soul together. When you do that on people like us, it increase the power of each one, and allow them to become more powerful. Something like that. I don’t know the details, though.”

Tim nodded slowly.

“So he think that bonding Damian to someone will help him.”

“I suppose, yes. I think I know who he wish to bond Damian with. Which is not surprising.”

“Who?” Tim asked curiously, feeling his heart drop a little.

“You, moron. Your power is the one that would be the more useful for… Against those nightmare.”

He blushed furiously, concentrating on stroking Damian’s forehead with the wet cloth. Jason snorted.

“ You’re gonna peel his skin off his skull if you keep doing that.” The man chuckled.

Tim cleared his throat and stopped, only to smile when he noticed Damian was opening his eyes.

“Oh, good evening, Kid.”

“What-… What happened?” He asked in a slurred voice.

“Well. Here’s a sum up. Twirling nightmare dark bony things and smoke circled the mansion, they wanted you. You seemed out of it and had black eyes like empty, t’was really creepy. So we went under the manor in a more protected area. Alfred started to ask Steph and Tim to pull the darkness out of you, saying they were here for you. Creepy old man Ra’s went down, created a symbol to enhance Tim’s power so he’ll help you to remove the dark stuff. The old man was in Tim’s brain, Tim pulled out the dark stuff out of you and baaam. You stayed asleep. And now you’re up, creepy old man is with your father talking.”

Damian stared at Jason with huge eyes.

“I-… Didn’t understand anything.”

Tim slapped gently Jason’s head, the man snorting and snickering.

“Logical, he explained it really badly. Even though… It was pretty much close to what happened. We didn’t quite understand anything that happened either…” He sighed and started to explain more clearly. At last, as clearly as he could.

Damian sighed and sat down, wincing a bit.

“Mother had told me about those… Nightmare. But she thought by leaving Grandfather I won’t be targeted, or at last less… And when I stayed with you it didn’t happen at all…”

“Until you left for your cave.” Ra’s entered the room, arms crossed over his chest. “The Nightmares noticed your energy once you left the barrier of the manor.”

“… Grandfather.”

The man sighed and sat down on a chair. Tim fidgeted on his own.

“Excuse me, but, can someone explain us what are… These Nightmares exactly?”

Bruce entered the room as well.

“Nightmares are… Creatures that appear from the darkness. From the worst of humans.”

“Humans create them?”

“Somehow. The more we have bad idea, bad… Intention, the more nightmares will spawns. They then gather in search of light to destroy. They seek darkness, and darkness is in all of us. We just yield in the worst part of us, or we refrain them. Light doesn’t exist without darkness, and darkness doesn’t exist without light. It’s a cycle that never end.”

“Just like we need to know fear before being reassured, or pain before being consoled.” Bruce agreed with a nod.

Damian looked at his grand-father.

“What do I have to do with them.”

“You, young man, you were born on the worst day you could. On the day the Nightmares are the most powerful. You were marked by them.” He showed his horns. “Those are a proof of it.”

“So I’m- … I’m really a demon, after all?” Damian murmured, looking down at his hands.

Ra’s shook his head.

“No, you’re not. Demons and Nightmare are quite different. You are a wizzard, just like me, but because you have been touched by the Night, your body transformed. You’re something else entirely, not quite human, not quite Nightmare either.”

The teen closed his eyes, placing a hand on his face. “I see. Can I-… Can I have some more rest? And time to think?”

After that, they walked away, Tim glancing a worried look to the teen.

Ra’s took him away from the other a few time later.

“How much do you care about my grandson, young man?”

“Heh? Hm, a… A lot, I would say, but just like.. Everyone else here?”

“No, I doubt anyone care about Damian as much as you do. I know those things. And I know a way you could help him to fight against his darkness.”

Tim’s eyes immediately became curious.

“I’m listening?”

The wizzard smiled slightly.

“A bonding. It is an old and powerful magic, that allow two soul, two spirit and two bodies to become one.”

The young man felt his cheeks burn a bit. Two bodies to become one? Was he just pervy or…

“And, hm…What… What the bonding exige us to do exactly?”

“Bruce probably have a book about the entire rituel somewhere, let’s go and see if we can find it.” The wizzard placed an arm around Tim’s shoulder, dragging him to the library with a smile.

Dick was downright worried. He didn’t like Ra’s in the slightest, and he saw the man bring Tim away with an arm around Tim and that…

“Was creepy as hell.” Jason finished his line of thought for him. The older man sighed, couldn’t help but nod.

“I don’t like Ra’s. He may have been Bruce’s mentor, I don’t like him in the slightest. Who knows what he really want.”

“… You really think he could be bad to his own grandson?”

“Hell, he have been bad to his own daughter, Jason.”

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Then maybe we should watch what’s the hell he want to do with Tim.”

Dick grinned. “You’re reading my thought, Jaybird.”

Jason raised an amused eyebrow as he followed him to the library. “Wish I could sometimes. Wish I could…” He mumbled for himself.

“What?”

“Hm. Nothing. Let’s go.”

“So…” Tim was staring at the book, a crimson blush creeping over his whole face. “For the bound to work, we need to actually… Have… S-sex?”

“Indeed. With the good symbols and runes around and under the bed, if you do it on the bed.”

The young man gulped. Damian was still young for those kind of things, wasn’t he…? He slowly pushed the book aside. “I’m no sure that’s a good idea. I mean, Damian’s still a teenager, he…”

“He have the legal age of consent, thought. And something tells me he would be very happy to have sexual intercourse with you.”

Sexual intercourse… Tim cleared his throat. “I-… I need to think about it.” He stood up, and Ra’s grabbed his wrist, eyes cold as he spoke.

“If you wait too much, there won’t be any way to save Damian from what he is.”

His stomach seemed to twist and curl on itself, and he gulped, removing his arms from the man’s hold.

“And what exactly is he, appart from a young man, too young for everything that’s happening to him recently?”

“He his part a Nightmare, Timothy. His horns, his wings, are a reaction to the darkness inside him. Nightmares want him. And as bright his light is, one day, it will falter against the strongness of it all. It is like… Like a rock in the middle of a storm in an ocean. The rock will stay strong. Until finally, little by little, each waves, each crash of water on it’s side, break it, destroy it, and drown it to made sure it finally join them.”

Tim felt so cold, all of a sudden. Everything was going down too fast. He was suddenly so scared. His fists clutched at his side, and he nodded.

“I… I will decide, soon.”

With that, Tim left the room, and as soon as he was out, a few tears started to fall down his cheeks. He had to protect Damian, no matter what, and egoistically, he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch that young man. Even if he had to carry all that weight on his shoulder alone, he will…

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around him, a hand in his hair. He blinked.

Dick was holding him so tightly he thought he wouldn’t be able to breath.

That was right. As he wrapped his arms back around his eldest, he let himself broke a little, knowing Dick would hold him together. And as he felt Jason’s hand stroke his back to soothe him as best as he could, he smiled.

That was right. He wasn’t alone. And Damian wasn’t alone, either. They will find a way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a lot fore Thesuperkentz for the beta <3
> 
> You can prompt me more on [ tumblr ](http://oloane-art.tumblr.com/) !


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